Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Nutella Brownies

I made some brownies last week that have Nutella (Chocolate Hazelnut Spread) in them. In fact, the only chocolate in the brownies was from Nutella. I wasn’t sure really what to think, like maybe they wouldn’t be “brownie” enough. But I loved these! And the pan of them was sure eaten quickly by everyone here at our house! One thing I was surprised that I really liked about them is that they are still fudgy and chocolaty, but not grainy/sugary how I sometimes think brownies can be. Brownies often have so much sugar that I think they can be gritty (though don’t get me wrong, still great!). With using Nutella, these just have a little extra brown sugar and I thought that made them have a smoother texture, which I liked.

Not to mention, Nutella is great and I really liked the taste. These were simple to make, almost just like my favorite brownies (this link leads to some brownies I made with chocolate and caramel, but the recipe for just the basic brownies can be used with all kinds of mix-ins). I found the recipe for these Nutella Brownies at I Adore Food. I didn’t’ really change anything from the recipe, but I’ll give you some of the measurements also in grams as well. My favorite way to measure ingredients is with a kitchen scale!

Nutella Brownies, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from a couple other sources

1/2 cup (60 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup Nutella hazelnut spread (296 grams)

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed, (110 grams)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup melted butter (I used salted)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with foil, spray lightly with cooking spray. (I love the non-stick foil that is available!). Let the sides of the foil hand over the edge to easily remove the brownies from the pan for cutting them.

Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl, set aside. Let sit to cool slightly while you do the next few steps.

Combine the flour and salt in a small bowl. In the bowl of a mixer, combine the eggs, Nutella, brown sugar and vanilla. Mix well for a minute or two. Scrape the side of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour, then half the melted butter. Add the rest of the flour, then end with the rest of the butter and mix just until all combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Cool in the pan until completely cool on a wire rack. Then, if you have time, or can wait that long, chill the brownies in the refrigerator for a couple hours. Remove from pan using foil edges. Peel the foil off the back of the brownies and cut into desired size pieces. I think brownies taste better chilled, but you can also serve/eat them at room temperature.

These will for sure be made again (and again) here at our house! If you love Nutella, you’ll really like these. If you’re like my husband, who does like Nutella, but still couldn’t tell they weren’t just “regular” brownies. ;) Yes, I love that man of mine!

I'm italian so nutella is in my blood!! :D I will try your recipe soon! If you want to come and take a look i made nutella, coconut and chocolate muffins, I write my recipes in english too... http://ioeimieidolci.blogspot.com/